Acta Scientiarum. Agronomy ISSN: 1679-9275 [email protected] Universidade Estadual de Maringá Brasil Pessim, Cleide; Pagliarini, Maria Suely; Jank, Liana; de Souza Kaneshima, Alice Maria; Mendes Bonato, Andréa Beatriz Meiotic behavior in Panicum maximum Jacq. (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae): hybrids and their genitors Acta Scientiarum. Agronomy, vol. 32, núm. 3, 2010, pp. 417-422 Universidade Estadual de Maringá Maringá, Brasil Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=303026592008 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v32i3.6461 Meiotic behavior in Panicum maximum Jacq. (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae): hybrids and their genitors Cleide Pessim1, Maria Suely Pagliarini1*, Liana Jank2, Alice Maria de Souza Kaneshima1 and Andréa Beatriz Mendes Bonato1 1Departamento de Biologia Celular e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. 2Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Gado de Corte, Cx. Postal 154, 79002-970, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. *Author for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Panicum maximum Jacq. is one of the most cultivated grasses in the world. The intraspecific hybridization breeding program underway at Embrapa Beef Cattle aims at combining several agronomic characteristics in a single plant with high seed production. Four intraspecific hybrids originated from the cross between sexual tetraploid female plants with apomictic tetraploid male plants, including the genitors, were cytologically evaluated in the meiotic process throughout conventional methodology. Hybrids and genitors showed high meiotic stability. The percentage of abnormal cells among them ranged from 6.7 to 14.2%. Abnormalities recorded were irregular chromosome segregation, chromosome stickiness, and absence of the first cytokinesis, but the latter did not compromise pollen viability. Multivalent chromosome configurations at diakinesis, ranging from one to three quadrivalents, suggest that genetic recombination and introgression of some genes can be expected in the hybrids. Based on meiotic stability, the hybrids should be selected for high seed production, and the genitors could remain in the program participating in other intraspecific crosses. Key words: breeding program, meiosis, intraspecific hybrids, Panicum maximum. RESUMO. Comportamento meiótico em Panicum maximum Jacq. (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae): híbridos e seus progenitores. Panicum maximum Jacq. é uma das gramíneas mais cultivadas no mundo. O programa de hibridização intraespecífica, desenvolvido pela Embrapa Gado de Corte objetiva combinar diversas características agronômicas em uma única planta com alta produção de sementes. Quatro híbridos intraespecíficos, originados a partir do cruzamento entre fêmeas sexuais tetraploidizadas artificialmente com plantas apomíticas, incluindo os respectivos genitores, foram citologicamente avaliados em seu processo meiótico por meio de metodologia convencional. Híbridos e genitores apresentaram alta estabilidade meiótica, e a percentagem de anormalidades meióticas entre eles variou de 6,7 a 14,2%. As anormalidades encontradas foram segregação irregular de cromossomos, aderências e ausência de citocinese, mas esta última não comprometeu a viabilidade do pólen. Configurações cromossômicas em multivalentes na diacinese, que variam de um a quatro quadrivalentes, sugerem que a recombinação e a introgressão de alguns genes pode ser esperada em híbridos. Com base na estabilidade meiótica observada, os híbridos poderão ser selecionados para alta produção de sementes, e os genitores podem permanecer no programa de melhoramento participando em outros cruzamentos intraespecíficos. Palavras-chave: programa de melhoramento, meiose, híbridos interespecíficos, Panicum maximum. Introduction East Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, where wide genetic diversity is found (BURTON et al., 1973; The genus Panicum, comprising more than 500 JAIN et al., 2003). species, is distributed throughout the tropics and In Africa, guinea grass has a much wider climatic warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres adaptation in the range than in cultivated pastures. It (WARMKE, 1951). It is a large and perennial genus is variable in size and indumentum of culms, leaves, that encompasses annual and perennial forms, and and panicles. It is a tufted perennial or occasionally includes some economically important species such an annual species (MUIR; JANK, 2004). Guinea as P. maximum Jacq., widely known as guinea grass. grass is widely used as a cultivated grass, and Panicum maximum is native of Africa, particularly commercial cultivars have been evaluated in all the Acta Scientiarum. Agronomy Maringá, v. 32, n. 3, p. 417-422, 2010 418 Pessim et al. continents. Some combined factors make guinea resulted from a cross between the sexual S12 with grass one of the primary cultivated C4 grasses, such the apomictic T72 plant. The sexual S12 is also a as: (i) its prolific production makes commercial seed hybrid plant; it resulted from a cross between the easily available and propagation simple; (ii) its wide sexual K189 with the apomictic plant K26. The range of adaptation has facilitated the release of hybrid H46, H64, and H69 are half-sibs. The sexual cultivars for different climatic and edaphic plant K189 was the first sexual diploid plant of P. conditions; (iii) its palatability, forage quality and maximum Jacq. found in nature, in 1967, by grazing tolerance make it an attractive component of researchers of former Institut Français de Recherche pastures for most ruminants. Scientifique pour le Développment en Coopération Panicum maximum Jacq. is one of the most (ORSTOM), in Korogwe (Tanzania). important forage grass species cultivated in Brazil, The male and female plants used in where it is known as ‘Capim Colonião’. Worldwide hybridization belong to the Embrapa Beef Cattle experience in breeding tropical forage grass is germplasm collection of P. maximum Jacq., allocated limited. Some breeding programs are underway at at Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, Embrapa Beef Cattle (Campo Grande, Mato Grosso comprising about 426 apomictic tetraploid do Sul State). The majority of forage cultivars accessions and 417 sexual tetraploid plants. The actually in use resulted from evaluation and germplasm was collected by ORSTOM, in East selection of natural ecotypes. In P. maximum Jacq., African savannas, in 1967 and 1969. Through a this procedure resulted in the release of three cooperation-agreement between ORSTOM and cultivars, Tanzania-1, Mombaça, and Massai. Embrapa, established in 1982, the germplasm was Effective breeding program in P. maximum Jacq., a sent to Embrapa Genetic Resources and predominant apomictic tetraploid species Biotechnology Center - Cenargen (Brazil). After (SAVIDAN et al., 1989), must involve intraspecific quarantine, they were transferred to Campo Grande, hybridization, aiming to exploit the genetic where they are kept in plots in the field. The site variability. Hybridization in guinea grass is possible characteristics of cultivation in Campo Grande, due to the occurrence of sexual and apomictic Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil are: climate type plants. Aw: tropical humid savanna; average annual The Brazilian breeding program of P. maximum precipitation = 1526 mm; average temperature = Jacq., developed at Embrapa Beef Cattle, is 22C; altitude 520 m; latitude = 20 28’ S; longitude producing intraspecific hybrids that are under = 55 40’ W; poor dark red Latossol (soil composed agronomic evaluation. Taking into account that of 59% sand; 8% silt and 33% clay; pH = 4.2). polyploid species generally display a great amount of Inflorescences for meiotic study were collected meiotic abnormalities that compromise pollen and fixed in a mixture of 95% ethanol, chloroform viability (SINGH, 1993), the present research aims and propionic acid (6:3:2) for 24 hours, transferred to evaluate the meiotic process in four intraspecific to 70% alcohol and stored under refrigeration until hybrids and their progenitors to investigate the use. Microsporocytes were prepared by squashing meiotic stability as an additional parameter to select and staining with 0.5% propionic carmine. the most interesting hybrid in relation to seed Photomicrographs were taken in a Wild Leitz production to attend the commercial seed demand. microscope using Kodak Imagelink – HQ, ISO 25 black and white film. The number of plants Material and methods analyzed varied from 6 to 9 among hybrids and from Four intraspecific P. maximum Jacq. hybrids (H8, 2 to 10 among genitors, depending on their H46, H64, and H69) and their genitors (S8/KK10, availability. S12/T60, and T72/H64) were cytogenetically analyzed. The hybrid H8 resulted from a cross Results and discussion between a S8 sexual (female genitor) with the KK10 Breeding of apomictic species depends on the apomictic plant (male genitor). The sexual S8 plant availability of totally or highly sexual plants. The was selected from a cross between a sexual plant discovery of sexual plants of guinea grass in East Africa (previously obtained from a cross between sexual was an important step for the development of K189 and the apomictic plant G23) and the improved cultivars of this species throughout apomictic plant C1. Thus, the